Childish Ailments
by YukinaKid
Summary: PreSeries. Sokkacentric. Sokka is the man of the village. He is the rope that binds it together. He has to protect his loved ones. He can't afford to suffer childish ailments... Can he? BrotherSister Love ON PERMANENT HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Rated: K**

**Pre-Series fic, but only by three months.**

**No spoilers, Sokka-centric with Katara sides.**

**Avatar is © Mike and Bryan and Nick. I don't credit anything but my musings.Thanks!**

Hi! Well, my muse came back, but not in the acceptable way I believe. She brings a brand new story, one where chapters will probably be very short, thereby irratating the readers, so I apologize in advance. However, I really haven't come by many good Sokka-centric stories here on so I decided to provide myself with one. My writing style has changed a bit since I've been in Advanced Placement Language Arts (basically a college Language Arts in a high school), but my spelling hasn't. Since I don't want to go to my brother's computer to spell check this, live with it for now guys. I think it's done phonetically enough so you can tell what it is. All will be fixed as soon as my time allows.

No telling how often this will be updated, if I'll finish it all in one sitting, or if it'll take a year. Either way, be patient. Most of this is done out of desperation for fanfiction, so don't be too critical either. Please sit back and enjoy!

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Sokka yawned lazily as he shimmied out of his sleeping bag and into the cold snow. Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his boomarang, smiling at his reflection in the morning dew. It was a lonesome smile, melonchaly and small, but the last of his remaining hope. His father had left for the war almost a year and a half ago without him. He was the last man in the Southern Water Tribe and he had to protect it. He was a warrior after all. He was his village's hope.

He shook off sleep with a slight nod as he exited the igloo. A deep purple and red hue bathed the ice in the warmth of the sun, bringing the temperature up a degree or two just by showing its face. Lazily Sokka walked to the edge of the village to grab a fishing boat. Hopefully there would be more fish this morning than there have been previously. For the sake of the village anyways.

Jumping in the boat, Sokka paddled off quietly in the water, absorbing the lucious gurggling sound that was produced. It was such a peaceful sound, and on mornings like these, it engulfed the whole world in serenity. Slowly he stopped, spotting some big fish, and carefully waited. With a swift plunk, he stabbed two fish and put them in the pail beside him. Two more like that should do it, he silently praised himself. And two more like it were soon captured.

By the time Sokka reached the village again, he felt a loss of energy from previous days. Not a huge one, but sleep wasn't leaving his body as fast as usual. He noticed Katara and Gran-Gran had the fire all set up and ready for breakfast. Docking, a few children grabbed the pail beside him before Sokka could object. A smile graced his face again, this time of pride. They were growing up so fast, learning so quickly. All of their fathers would be so proud. Not to mention his father...

Sokka's smile was taken over by a grimace of pain. But he couldn't dwell on such things, he was the man of the village now, and must act as such. Silently he put his tools away in his igloo and sat down in front of the warm cooking fire where the fish already were frying. He closed his eyes. The smell of cooked fish... that must be the best smell in the world. It sure calmed his nerves quite a bit from his previous private thoughts. His lids slid open lathargecally when he sensed someone intently staring at him.

"Sokka, here's your food already! I told you, pay more attention! Honestly, how hard is it to catch a fish? It's so much harder cooking it!" Katara spat, shoving the cooked fish into his face. Sokka took it, more a reflex than a bodily command, and sat speechless. A second or so later, his witty remark came, way off schedule.

"No no no I don't think so! Do you know how slippery those things are? They dart around and around and... they are very... smart!" He finished, lamely. Flushed, he stuffed the food into his mouth, took his plate and washed it within a second so Katara wouldn't complain again, tossed it into the clean pile, and stormed to his watch tower without another word. Katara had been in such a bad mood lately, and it seemed between the two siblings, their stress collided. She practiced her water bending in vain daily, and with their stock of medicine and stored food dwindling as the winter arrived, nothing was good enough for her. Not for the moment anyways. None the less, he had to keep watch. He'd take it out on some poor helpless creature at lunch.

Katara blinked, her frustration evaporated completely. Of course Sokka said stupid remarks sometimes, few ever justly placed, but he never didn't enjoy a meal. He usually savored it, like some trophy won for the best fish ever caught, and waited for praise from the village. Normally he would also shrug off the quarrel between them, after he had his say of course, and give a goofy smile. She knew she was in a bad mood but... she didn't think she was being that harsh. Her face turned to Gran-Gran who, in her old age had learned to tune out those silly fights, was cutting up a fish for a small boy. Heaving a large sigh, she took her place beside her grandmother, and ate her fish. She'd investigate later, after her chores were done.


	2. Chapter 2

Umm... another chapter, same day. Maybe I'll actually get through three chapters of a fanfiction of mine this time. That'd be amazing! Hope you like it, I'll spell check it later.

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The morning came and went, as Sokka drifted in and out of sleep. It was a warmer mornings than previous, even with winter coming. His warrior instinct told him that warmth always meant a harsh cold snap on the horizon. He didn't even sense Katara come in through his soft daydreams and lapses in reality. As she approached him cautiously, he blinked a few times, his cerulean eyes filled with an unspeakable sorrow mixed with passion glazed over with a thin sheet of pain. Pain that sent sirens off in Katara's head.

Blinking hard a few more times, he rubbed his eyes and looked at Katara, a silent question forming between them.

"Ahh... I was coming to get you to let you know lunch is ready..." Katara started, awkwardly fishing for words. Deep down she felt she had seen something private, almost forbidden, by accident. "We got lucky and found some old penguins who were easy targets. There's enough meat to last at least for three days if not more." Her words came out fast, maybe too fast, but audibly. Sokka nodded, and gave a small smile.

"Good work, little sister," he patted her arm, "I'll make a warrior out of you yet!" and with that, a grin engulfed the face that was so lost a minute ago, and gave a teasing pull to Katara's hair loops. Her face turned into a mock snarl as she playfully hit him.

"Don't do that! I hate that you know!!" She laughed as he gave such a pathetic fight to gain access of his constricted airways. She had expertisely pinned him down and left him the trouble of untangling himself from the snow. He soon quit struggling all together, an icky feeling washing over him. No, it can't be what I think it is, he cursed himself. I'm the man of the village. I don't have time for childish ailments!

Katara's keen sister instincts caught the red flag immediately and she stopped her laughing, a somber look painting itself to her delicate features. She did a mental body check over Sokka. Body relaxed, reaction slowed, eyes glazed, hair... unwashed. She'd have to make sure he bathed properly tonight after all those warrior "expeditions". Aside from that, something was clearly wrong. She hadn't heard any tale tell signs from him ever since he miraculously recovered from his "arctic cough" as he so named it. That was at least six months ago. But now her motherly instincts kicked in. She inched forward towards Sokka.

Sokka's warrior danger instincts decided to kick up at that moment as he panicked, for what reason he couldn't place. It was almost like his body knew, but didn't bother to send the memo to his brain. In fact, unbeknownst to Sokka, there was almost a whole notepad worth of notices that he had automatically ignored until this point. Now he wished that he had been more attentive to his body.

Katara's cool forehead touched Sokka's for a good five seconds before Sokka's body retracted from her own. Those five seconds were enough. Her brow creased ever so slightly with worry. She had to choose her words carefully, he was sensative about the topic. It was easiest to let his body wear out on him until he was a bit more managable. However, fevers were a more serious thing than a cough or a sneeze. In the South Pole it could prove deadly. She needed to get him to lay down in Gran-Gran and her igloo to fight it. She needed to catch him with his guard down. The best way to down Sokka's guard, was to let him do it himself. She grin maliciously to herself. This might prove entertaining.

"You have a fever!" She announced, her voice as sugary as maple syrup. A smile equally as sweet followed as she made a dramatic gesture to touch his forehead again, intended to be slow enough so he could react.

"No I don't!" Sokka boldly said, expecting her comment and already having a prepared comment to veto it. He quickly stood up. "I already told you, childish ailments do not come to men of my stature! I am protecting this village and I am going to be prepared for the Fire Nation to come to our village!" As his voice rose, the energy in his speech dropped, until soon it was no more than a whisper. "I'm going to collect a good dinner tonight to go along with our penguin meat and... train the men and..."

"If you're referring to the five and six year olds, I think they can take a day off from training until... say... they're you're age," Katara smiled inwardly picking the perfect moment to strike. She took her brother by the shoulders gently and urged his head to lean on her shoulder just like her mom used to do. No matter how much Sokka protested, she was able to keep him in bed until he was all better. But that was when the men were around... when her father was around... when her mother was around... She was going to get him to do her bidding no matter the cost, because... he and Gran-Gran and her father were all she had left of her family... if the war ended.


End file.
